Abby
by Joshua Hurley
Summary: A young girl inherits a supernatural power: She can read minds. However events soon turn Macabre as she works out what the price of the gift is.
1. Chapter 1

ABBY

**The Gift**

It was dark outside. The sun had just set and the moon hung low in the sky. In the play park all that could be heard was the occasional drip of the rain. The vandalized swing sets and broken roundabout gleamed in the moonlight. A rat scurried across the coloured tarmac and disappeared down a drain. The park was almost empty. A young girl sat on a swing. She was small and thin. She had brown hair cut short and had staring eyes. The girl looked at her watch which told her it was ten thirty. She got up from the swing and made towards the zebra crossing. She stepped out onto the road just as a large bus rolled towards her. She ran out of it's way into a dark alleyway. She felt the first drops of a rainstorm fall on her nose and cheeks. She knew she had to get home quickly before the storm started so she broke into a run. She felt the cold of the air pierce her skin and as she was running she heard something. A very faint sound. Like a saw scraping on wood. It was coming from a side alley. She took a step towards it. She felt herself walk towards it, slowly. The sound started to pick up and she moved towards it. She started moving more quickly through the maze of alleyways. She took a left, another left, a right, another left. All the while the sound of scraping got louder and louder until it was like screaming in her ears. She winced but ran faster towards the sound. She rounded the corner and a voice screamed "Abby!"

"Abby. Abby wake up!" Abby's eyes snapped open and she sat bolt upright. Her mother was standing over her. She resembled Abby in almost every way except her hair was a much darker shade of brown.

"What time is it?" Asked Abby. She yawned and looked at her clock which read ten thirty in the morning. "Mum, I'm gonna be late!"

"No you're not it's Sunday."

"Sunday?"

"Yes. It's time to go."

"Go where?"

"To Church." Of course. How could Abby have forgotten.

"All right, all right I'll be up in a second." Her mother left the room. Abby turned on her lamp and opened the curtains. Light poured into her room. Abby's room was the same as any fourteen year olds. Posters clad the wall and school work littered the desk. She got dressed into a pair of denim trousers and a blue jumper. She walked down stairs and went into the kitchen. It was a plain, tiled room with one black countertop and an oven. Her father was sitting at the table reading the news. He was a short man with a big, bushy mustache and a slightly sunken appearance. He glanced up at her said "morning" and went back to reading his paper. Abby sat down and poured herself some cereal.

"We're going to be late again." said her Father from behind his paper.

"We shan't be too late." replied Abby.

"Late for what dear?"

"Church!"

"Oh, of course!"

Abby's mother came in and they all walked outside into the drive and got into the car. They pulled off out of the drive and started moving towards church. As they were driving Abby saw a play park that looked identical to the one in her dreams. A young girl sat in the swig. Suddenly she looked up and stared strait into the car at Abby. The car stopped at traffic lights right on the edge of the park. The young girl had long brown hair the partially covered her face and was in a tangle. She got out of the swing seat and started moving towards the car. She moved slowly and jerked forwards. Abby felt clammy. Then a sound filled the car. The sound of scraping echoed throughout the car and a high pitched screaming noise filled Abby's ears. Abby clasped her hands over her ears and the girl started walking closer and closer. The little girl pulled out a knife from her dress and cocked her head; her eyes filled with anger.

"Drive! Drive!" Abby screamed at her father. Her mother turned round

"What' wrong Abby?" She asked.

"There, that girl!" She pointed to the little girl on the pathway.

"What girl where?" Her mother looked around.

**CRACK**

An fireball erupted in front of the car. The windscreen smashed and the car was lifted a few foot into the air and then plummeted into into the ground. Abby jerked forward and blacked out.

"It's your problem now. Death is just the beginning. You must stop it."

Abby woke up. She was lying in a comfortable bed in a hospital clinic. Suddenly her head seared with pain; as though someone had pulled a knife across her brain.

"Look, she's awake!" Doctors rushed towards her. Abby sat up and a pain shot up from her back. She yelled. A doctor put her hand on her head and soothed her. "It's going to be fine." The doctors waited patiently while they waited for her to calm down.

"W-what happened?" Abby asked.

"You were the victim of a bomb attack." Abby gasped and started to sob.

"Don't worry." Said a doctor "You were one of the three casualties."

"What about my parents!" yelled Abby.

"They're fine. They're waiting for you."

"W-who are the other casualties?"

"There's you. A certain Camilla Rouge and a young girl called Zephy."

"What happened to them?"

"Camilla suffered head and brain injuries but she'll pull through. Unfortunately Zephy was killed."

"Killed?"

"Yes. She was the one in the road. She was holding a knife." Abby felt her insides freeze. The little girl from the play park with the long hair. She must have been killed by the bomb. But why would anyone want to plant a bomb outside a play park.

"Abby?" Abby woke up from her daydream.

"I want to go home." She said.

"All right. Get out of your bed. Your parents are outside of the ward." Abby got out of her bed and looked around. In the ward there was just another bed. In it lay a girl with short brown hair. She had a slightly mousy face and was quite short. She had a bandage wrapped around her head.

"That's camilla." The doctor said. Abby walked out of the ward. Her back stilled pained her but it had mainly subsided. She looked around. She was standing in a long corridor which was completely white except for the occasional bench.

"Abby!" Her mother and father ran to her and her mother threw her arms around her. "We're so glad you alright. Are you feeling?"

"Pretty bad. I want to go home."

"Alright. Alright come home." _I'm so glad you're alright._

"I'm fine Dad."

"Good. Good." _Maybe she should spend more time in the hospital_.

"Dad. I'm fine. I don't need to spend any more time here."

"I know Abby. I didn't say that."

"You didn't?"

"No. Come on. Let's get out of here."

In the car Abby felt cold. She had been sure that her father had spoken to her. _I heard him._ They turned a corner and Abby saw the play park. It was completely empty. They stopped at traffic lights and a young man walked past the car. _Whoa! Sweet ride._ Abby gasped. She had heard the man but he hadn't been talking. Her mother looked round at her.

"Are you all right?" she inquired. _Perhaps she should have spent more time at the hospital._

"Mum I'm fine!" Abby was starting to get agitate. She had just been informed that the old women in the car in front was developing lung cancer. The lights went green and the car drove on. Abby started hearing voices.

_Do I look fat in this._

_I don't wanna go._

_I hope he doesn't._

_Did that guy just look at me?_ Abby clapped her hands over her ears. Not only could she hear voices but the sound of scraping had returned. Ever do faintly but it was there. _Scrape. _ The car pulled into the house drive.

_We forgot the groceries! Never mind we've got some salad left!_ Abby's mum turned round to face her. "Abby why don't you get some sleep. You must be shattered.

"Ok." Abby got out of the car and entered the house. She climbed the staircase and went into her room. She got into bed and fell asleep.

_Hello Abby._ Abby stood before Zephy. They were in the play park. It was night and an occasional snowflake drifted down. Zephy was grinning. _You have a mission. An objective. You also have a gift. As you may have noticed you can read people's minds. This is a skill that you currently have no control over. But don't worry in time you will be able to. As for you're mission. It's quite simple really. I'll show you what I have started and then I'll tell you how to finish it._

Matthew Ray put down his coffee and walked into the middle of his office. It was a small cubicle with a desk that filled the majority of it. He put on his coat and prepared to leave but as he did so his telephone rang. Beep Beep. Matthew couldn't be bothered to answer it. He twisted the door handle but couldn't open it. Beep beep. He pulled hard at the door but it remained shut. Beep Beep. He got his shoulder and slammed it against the door. It did nothing. Beep Beep. Matthew went over to his desk and picked up the telephone "Hello?" He listened hard but there was no one on the other side. Just as he was about to but the phone down he heard a noise through the telephone. It was the sound of scraping. Like a saw cutting through wood. He slammed the phone down and ran to the door and punched it as hard as he could screaming "Help? Hello? Anybody help me." There was no one there. He could still hear the deafening sound of scraping. As though the phone had planted it in his brain. Then the door handle started to turn. Very slowly. Matt ran behind his desk and took out a penknife. He heard the door open but he didn't dare look. _Okay. On the count of 3 I'll jump up and attack it_. He flicked the knife out._1._ He heard footsteps coming from behind the desk._2_. The sound of scraping rang in his ears._3._ He jumped up from behind the desk and yelled. Standing there was a little girl. Her hair was covered in blood and she had slit marks on her neck and wrists. Her eyes were bloodshot and her face was skeletal. Her head hung to one side of her neck which was bloodstained. She was holding a kitchen knife. Matt plunged his knife into her. Blood poured from the cut but she didn't seem to notice. She raised her knife once again. _Goodbye Matthew._

"Why?" yelled Matt. "WHY?"

The girls mouth opened slowly. _Because you lacked the courage._ Matt heard the sound of scraping as the girl plunged the knife in between his eyes.

Julian Sky but her schoolbag on her bed and went to her desk and started to cry. Tear swelled up inside her and she felt completely alone. "Julian? Julian Dinners ready." Julian heard her mother calling. She sobbed and walked over to her door. She turned the handle but the door wouldn't open. She went back to her desk and found a key. It wouldn't fit in the lock.

Then the phone rang.

"Mum? Mum can you hear me?" Shouted Julian. Beep Beep. Julian turned round and looked into the mirror and screamed. Instead of her reflection there was a little girl. Beep Beep. She had tangled brown hair and deep blue eyes. Julia picked up the telephone and listened. She couldn't hear anything at first. She looked back at the mirror. There was no girl there. Julia gave a sigh of relief but as she was about to put the phone down she heard a sound. Like polystyrene rubbing together. The door started to open. Julian blinked. The door was shut but there was a girl in the room. She was staring at the floor and walking towards Julian. Julian started scratching at the wall in desperation. She looked back and the girl was staring right at her. Her face was covered in blood and she had knife marks all over her. Pieces of skin had been teared from her body. She pulled out a kitchen knife from her dress and raised it.

"Please!" screamed Julia "why are you doing this?" The girl's mouth opened slowly. _Because you lacked the courage._

_So you see Abby. You have a mission._

"No." said Abby. "I won't do it. You can't make me do that. It's disgusting. You're demented. Go away." _No Abby. Don't you understand. There is no escape. You have no idea how hard I tried to stop. But when the voices tell you what to do there is no stopping yourself. There is no escape. Except passing the gift on. _

"There must be another way. How do I stop it?" _You don't. You are a slave now. Unless you find your other half._

"What the hell does that mean?" Screamed Abby. _I don't know. It's just what I was told when I was given the gift._

"And how do I pass it on?" _You die. _Zephy started to fade away.

"Zephy! Zephy don't leave me!" _You'll be fine._

"No! Please!" _Goodbye Abby._

Abby woke up.


	2. Voices

**Voices**

Abby climbed out of her bed shaking. _Just a dream._ She blinked and a image of the distorted Zephy flashed before her face. She jumped and tried to get the image out of her head but failed. She closed her eyes and Zephy came back again with her kitchen knife. "Leave me alone!" shouted Abby. She opened her eyes and was dazzled by a flash of light. She found where it was coming from. A large kitchen knife was on her chest of draws. She just looked at it. The she grabbed and threw it in the bin. She ran downstairs into the kitchen.

"Morning Abby." her father was behind the usually newspaper. _Why does she have to ware those clothes?_

"I'm sorry did you say something?"

"No dear." Father took a sip of coffee. Abby felt a surge of misery. It hadn't been a dream. Her mother came downstairs. _Where did I put that hairbrush._

"It's on your left cabinet." called up Abby. Father stared at her. Abby looked at the clock,

"Come on Dad I'm going to be late. _Damn._ They got in the car and mother waved to the next door neighbor. _Crazy women_ he thought. Abby smiled.

They drive to school disturbed Abby. From various places she heard thoughts from different people. She had no control over who's thoughts she heard.

_I'm gonna be late._

_Wow he's hot!_

_Just cause I kissed a girl doesn't make me lesbian? Does it?_

_I'm gonna get caught!_

Abby groaned and the car pulled up in the school car park. She got out of the car and for a few seconds it seemed that everything slowed down. In slow motion a boy hugged his father. A couple kissed. A teacher was complaining. Then the thoughts came flooding in.

_Oh no I haven't done- Oh my gosh- who's he- I'm hungry- I hate this. Nooo._

Abby fell onto her knees and yelled. She clasped her hands over her head and yelled.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Her parents rushed to her and said something but Abby couldn't here what. Suddenly the voices stopped. Abby exhaled. She stood up and looked at her parents who were staring at her. As were half of the car park. Abby felt her cheeks go hot and muttered something about being late. She rushed off to the girls changing rooms which consisted of thee rooms, all the same; tiled and clinical. It was when she started to take off her coat that she noticed it. A folded letter was in her pocket. She opened it and gasped.

It was splattered with blood. It was a list of names written in her own handwriting. They read:

Janet Hale

Jane D

Luke Stanley

_Don't lose yourself._

Abby wretched and opened her locker.

Abby Screamed.

Inside her locker was the kitchen knife. When she looked at it she heard the sound of scraping. Like a saw against wood. Abby made the connection. The names, the knife. _You're a slave now._ Zephy's voice echoed in Abby's head.

"No! No!" Abby screamed and burst into tears. Fortunately she was alone in the changing room. The bell for lessons went. Abby just slumped in her locker and cried. The sound of scraping echoing in her head.


	3. Jonathan

**Jonathan**

_Where's Abby?_ Jonathan thought as he gazed out of the maths room window. It wasn't like her to just not turn up to a lesson. No note. No phone call. Jonathan had missed her over the holidays. Missed her smile and her sense of humor.

"Jonathan? Could you explain to the class quadratic equations…"_Damn it!_

_***_

Jonathan was tall. He wasn't massive but he was taller than most people. He had a long face but had few spots for his age. He had fair hair and soft hands. His eyes were a strong brown which looked a little odd. As he sat in the school courtyard gazing up at the grey sky; looking around at the children playing on the tarmac he felt something on his nose. It was a flake of snow. He rubbed it off but soon another flake came to join it. In seconds it was snowing fairly dramatically and soon torrents of flakes were flying everywhere. John looked up and promptly a snowflake fell in his eye and he winced in pain. When he looked back up he saw Abby running across the courtyard with her hands over her head. _I wonder what she's doing_. John got up and followed her. She ran into a room on the side of the block.

Abby ran into a room on the side of a block. Her head was spinning as thoughts flashed through her brain. _Why is she in there?_ Abby cursed. Someone was following her. She looked around the room for an escape. It was an ordinary classroom with one exit. Abby was tempted to smash a window but thought better of it. She didn't want attention. The thoughts had slightly subsided here. But the sound of scraping was still in her ears. The door slowly began to open. _I'm gonna kill you._

Abby froze. _I'm gonna rip your head off. _Abby was stunned. She pulled the knife out from her bag. _I gonna make you bleed. You're going to wish you had never been born._ Abby rushed behind a door as it happened. A claw came round the side of the door. Abby gasped. Without thinking she rammed her knife into it and she heard roaring from the other side of the door.

She walked round.

Pinned to the door was some sort of demented human. It had claws for hands and massive fangs. It had four arms which were covered in slime. It was contorting in pain as blood ran down it's hand. Abby grabbed the knife and plunged it into the thing. _I'm gonna fucking kill you._ Abby heard the creatures thoughts and she stabbed it again. Blood exploding from the knife points and running down it's body. She stabbed it again and again screaming madly. It yelled and cried. Blood pouring down it's face.

"Why!" It screamed. Abby felt her mouth opened and she projected a thought into it's mind. _Because you lacked the courage._

Abby blinked.

There was no monster. Instead there was a boy. The boy had blood all over him and his skin had been peeled off at slash marks. Blood ran from his eyes and from his mouth. Abby screamed and dropped her knife which was covered in blood. The boy died. He gazed at her through his bloodshot eyes. Abby ran. She jumped strait through the classroom windows. She ran away from the school and through the streets. She had no idea where she was going but anywhere was better than the school. As she ran tears ran down her face. _I'm the monster._ She stopped to catch her breath and looked up.

She was sitting in the play park.


	4. Visions, Dreams and Mother

**Visions, Dreams and Mother**

The play park was strangely empty. There was a haunted atmosphere about it. The roundabout swung round on it's own and the swings swung. Forward. Backward. The thoughts had stopped. As had the sound of scraping. Abby went and sat on one of the swings even though it was wet.

She looked around at the snow which was drifting down past her. She looked up at the sky. It began to grow dark but she wasn't going anywhere. She started to hum a tune; she didn't even know what it was but that's all she felt like doing.

She couldn't remember how long she sat there. One time she felt like she had become one with the sky. She put her hands into her pockets because it was cold and found a piece of paper.

It was the list.

Jonathan had disappeared but another had taken it's place. Margaret Jones. Anger swelled up inside of Abby and she screamed and ripped the paper to shreds.

"Why! Why me? Why did you pick me?" _You know the answer._ Abby jumped. Zephy was sitting in the swing next to her.

"Zephy…"

"Hello Abby. Look at the snow."

"Zephy why do I have to do this?"

"It's your destiny. Like I said before you have to find you're other half to stop it. When you meet this will end."

"It's going to get worse isn't it?"

"Yes. There will be a time when you are consumed. But I suppose it won't be you then. Something else."

"Where do I go. I killed a boy. I can't go home. I can't go anywhere. What will I eat?!"

"Haven't you noticed Abby? You're not hungry and you haven't eaten a thing since breakfast." She was right.

"Here you dropped this." Zephy produced the kitchen knife from her dress.

"I don't want it."

"That's not important." Snow flakes drifted down over the play park and Abby looked at the knife. She took it slowly.

"As for your parents. You can talk to them in you're dreams."

"What about the sound of scraping?"

"Oh that. That's them trying to make you carry out your list."

"Who are they?"

"They're the controllers. They built this prison for the mind. If you find them." her voice lowered to a whisper "kill them. End it like that."

"How do I find them?" Whispered Abby.

"You'll know. They'll find you. I've got to go."

"Where are you going?"

"I dunno. The only thing I truly know it that I've got to go. Goodbye Abby."

"Bye Zephy." As the snow fell on Zephy faded into the darkness. A tear welled up in Abby's eye. She was alone with nowhere to go and no hope for the future. A surge of Misery came over Abby and she burst into tears. A wave of tiredness ran over her and she drifted of into a disturbed sleep.

"Abby?" Abby was standing in a completely white "room" with no windows or doors. Mother stood opposite her. Mother ran to Abby and hugged her.

"Abby," she said "Abby where have you been?"

"Away. I can't tell you where."

"Why not? Please Abby, please. Just tell me where you are and you can come home."

Sadness engulfed Abby. That was all she wanted, to go home. She knew she couldn't and burst into tears. So did Mother. It seemed like they wept together for hours until Mother finally said "When will I see you again."

"I don't know," said Abby. "but we will. I'll make sure." The white room evaporated as did Mother and soon it was replaced by the play park in the early morning.

The sun had just rose. Abby was lying on the ground under a blanket of snow. Her eyes opened. She wondered where she was then it all came flooding back to her. She burst in to tears and screamed "Why! Why me!?" she lowered her voice to a whisper "why me?" She sat up and looked around. The play park seemed to be frozen solid. An almost magical feeling swept Abby up as she looked at the glistening roundabout. A car pulled up and stopped at the traffic lights. _It's time to go._ Thought Abby; someone might recognize her. She got up and put her hands in her pockets because of the cold. The list was in her pocket. She took it out. A new name had been added to it:

_Jonathan Bry_

Abby didn't know where she had heard that name before but she was sure she had herd of it. She felt the knife in her coat pocket. She decided she needed a bag to hide everything. She walked into a general store. _Someone this early?._ Abby winced as she heard the noise. She went up to the front desk where a women was sitting. She looked up at Abby and Abby saw her badge. Janet Hale. Abby gasped. The name was on her list. Abby herd the door close behind her and the lights flickered. As Abby stared the women seemed to transform. Her eyes went blood red. Her hair malted to reveal a burned scalp. Her skin turned grey and her fingernails grew into claws. Abby gasped and grabbed the knife.

Janet Hale screamed.

The Creature growled.

The little girl had a knife and was edging towards her.

The monster grinned and showed pointed teeth. Abby yelled but the monster clawed at her and scratched her face. Abby tasted blood. She raised her knife.

Janet started to yell as blood appeared on the girls face. The phone went off and Janet grabbed it. At first she heard nothing but then she heard the sound of scraping. She slammed the phone down but she still heard the noise. She looked up and the girls contorted face was right next to her. A kitchen knife raised above her head.

"Why!" Janet yelled. _Because you lacked the courage._

From "Abby's Case."

When Janet Hale was discovered it first appeared that she had committed suicide. She had knife marks across her wrists. But later discoveries show she was stabbed in the back. A place where she could not have possibly reached. She was found with a knife that had Abby's finger marks all over it. No one quite knows why she left the knife behind. Perhaps she actually wanted to be stopped. What was soon discovered was that Abby had also killed a certain Jonathan Hadley. The link between the deaths was not discovered until the death of Jonathan Bry.


	5. The Sound of Scraping

**The Sound of Scraping**

It had stopped. It always did after she made a kill. She grabbed the bag and put her list in it. As for the knife. She left it behind with Janet's body which lay in a pool of blood. _Perhaps someone will stop me._ She ran from the store and across the play park. She ran into a bathroom and looked at her face in the mirror. Something wild had come across her. Her scratches faded away and the blood disappeared. She still looked quite sinister. Except for her eyes. They showed a longing to be normal. Tears welled up in her and she pulled out her knife which had appeared. "What do you want of me!?" she screamed. She smashed the sink and broke the mirror. She put her knife away and looked into another mirror. There was some kind of attraction to the mirror. She looked deep into it and then saw the face of a man. Her had medium-long cut black hair and stubble on his chin. He looked about thirty but Abby couldn't tell.

Luke Stanley did a double take. He saw something in the mirror. It was a little girl. She had short brown hair and a slightly manic look about her. He felt his stomach lurch. He went to the door and tried to pull it open. It was locked.

And then the phone rang.

Luke just stared at the phone. Then the door handle began to turn. Beep Beep. His vomited in his mouth and then picked up the phone. Nothing. The door opened and a child walked in. The phone made a sound like scraping and Luke slammed it down but the sound remained. The child was exactly like the one in the mirror but she had cuts on her face with blood pouring down. Luke ran to his desk and pulled out his gun. He shot the girl and blood started to pour out of her body. But she walked on and pulled out a knife from her dress. Luke screamed and then looked at the gun. He put it to his forehead and pulled the trigger. Nothing. Luke vomited blood all over the floor. The girl raised the knife.

"For Christ's sake why!" yelled the man. Then a thought projected in his voice. _You know why. You lacked the courage._

"Please I've changed I…" but Luke was unable to finish his sentence for the girl had plunged her knife into his chest.

The sound of scraping died from Abby's ears and she relaxed. The bullet hole in her chest disappeared. _There had to be a better way than this. _

"Zephy! You don't control me! I'm gonna end this." _But how?_ Abby didn't know. She went back to the playground.

It was dark outside. The sun had just set and the moon hung low in the sky. In the play park all that could be heard was the occasional drip of the rain. The vandalized swing sets and broken roundabout gleamed in the moonlight. A rat scurried across the coloured tarmac and disappeared down a drain. The park was almost empty. A young girl sat on a swing. Abby sat and looked up at the moon. She looked at her watch which told her it was ten thirty. She got up from the swing and made towards the zebra crossing. She stepped out onto the road just as a large bus rolled towards her. She ran out of it's way into a dark alleyway. She felt the first drops of a rainstorm fall on her nose and cheeks. She remembered this from her dream. All she had to do was to follow the sound of scraping. She felt the cold of the air pierce her skin and as she was running she heard something. A very faint sound. Like a saw scraping on wood. It was coming from a side alley. She took a step towards it. She felt herself walk towards it, slowly. The sound started to pick up and she moved towards it. She started moving more quickly through the maze of alleyways. She took a left, another left, a right, another left. All the while the sound of scraping got louder and louder until it was like screaming in her ears. She winced but ran faster towards the sound. She rounded the corner and saw her.

A girl was sitting on a cardboard box. She was looking down into her hands. She had longish hair and a mousy face that was thin. She looked up and saw Abby. "W-who are you?" she asked. "I'm Abby." said Abby.

"I'm Milla."

"You were in the accident!"

"What?"

"The bomb, the car crash, whatever it was you were there! You were injured!"

"Yes. Yes I was." Milla stood up and began to glow.

_find your other half. _Zephy's words rang in Abby's ears as she started to glow bright gold.

_It is over!_

_Not yet there is still someone left. One more person remains._


	6. Abby: Aftermanth

**Abby:Aftermanth**

The car pulled to a holt outside the house; the wheels made a squeaking sound as friction caused the tires to rub against the hard concrete. Mr Jones had dressed his very best for the occasion. It wasn't every day he had to do this. He entered the house. It was a semi detached house in a nice enough area. Inside the house was a scene that could have been pulled out of a corny film. Mr and Mrs Bry were crying on the sofa in front of pictures of Jonathan. Mr Jones walked over to them and said gently, "I'm sorry to inconvenience yo, this should only take a second of your time. Jonathan was killed when he went hiking in the Greay mountains. We don't know what killed him yet. He left at exactly…"

They left at at exactly 6:30am to go on summer camp. Jonathan had been looking forward to this trip all year. Coming with him were his friends Andrew, Jason and Joe. There were also two girls coming called Lydia and Alex the PE teacher, Mr Darkray was coming. They had decided to go on camp in the local mountain range so they took take a lot of precautions. They had a coach to get them in, basic food, water and tent supplies. They had emergency contact supplies but few aggressive animals lived in the woods where they were staying. It was a remote location in the higher parts of the forest (because it was winter it was cold and foggy).

The coach left the main road and soon the grassy fields dissolved into lush woods. The woods were mainly pine and were beautiful; they built up an enchanting atmosphere. The fog got thicker. Night fell and still the bus rolled up the mountain. Occasionally the bus would hit a rock causing the entire bus to jolt. Jonathan felt sick when it happened. The bus lurched forward and stopped. At first John thought that they were there but when he looked out of the window he discovered it was a different story. They bus had rammed into a small boulder and had crashed. They were stuck in the middle of a forest at midnight. The bus lights flickered. A girl whimpered. Then the lights went out. Mr Darkray stood up and announced that he was going to try and move the boulder. John looked out into the forrest. The haunting trees stared at him through the mist. Almost seeing him through their bark. Suddenly, John saw a flash of movement. Something was outside the bus. Very faintly he could here the sound of scraping. Slow scrapes like a fingernail moving slowly down a blackboard. A girl screamed. John quickly looked towards her but found out it had been caused by Jason grabbing Lydia's leg. Mr Darkray reentered the bus and announced he had moved the boulder as if he had just been appointed Supreme Chancellor of The Universe. He tried the key in the ignition but it didn't turn on. He went over to the fuse box and opened it. He placed his finger on one of the switches and flicked it up. The lights came back on. He smiled and walked back over to the drivers seat. He sat down and put the key back in the ignition. The car started up and the headlights came back on. They drove for a while longer before the camp loomed out of the mist.

The camp consisted of four huts and one slightly larger hut. The were all built in an eighteen hundreds fashion and all looked slightly sinister. As the bus got nearer to the camp something else loomed out of the mist. A gigantic lake appeared. It was crystal clear and gleamed in the moonlight. As Jonathan stared at it he was unnerved. There was something unnatural about it. As he thought this a man walked up to the bus. He was a short man with dark hair and a sullen face. Once everybody had got out of the bus he started to speak in a heavy irish accent.

"Hello there everybody. Welcome to the Graey camp. I am Mr Knight. Before we start unpacking there are a few ground rules I would like to go through. The first and most important is that under not circumstances can you leave the camp unless accompanied by and adult. Also the lake is completely off limits unless you are doing water based activities under adult supervision. All meals will start as per your time table. Right, you can all sleep in cabins for one night; Mr Darkray can I have a word with you?" As the children moved off to their huts Mr Darkray and Mr Knight talked in the cabin.

"Mr Darkray…"

"Call me Ben."

"Ben. Do you know why I am the only member of staff here?"

"No."

"Because there are no members of staff. They disappeared two weeks ago. I woke up one morning and they weren't here!."

"I don't understand."

"There be strange times Ben. There is something out there. In the woods. In the fog, I don't know exactly but I feel something terrible is about to happen." Just as he said this an ear piercing scream echoed around the room.

"Lydia!" Darkray exclaimed. They ran to Lydia's hut and pulled on the door. It was locked. Mr Knight rammed at the door with his shoulder and it swung opened. Lydia was on her bed whimpering and Jason was on the floor laughing. Obviously Jason have jumped out at her or something along those lines.

"I have had enough!" yelled Darkray, "had enough! Jason go to your cabin and stay there until I say so." Jason sulked off and Mr Knight turned to Lydia "Are you alright?" he asked. She nodded.

Jonathan lay in his bed. Andrew was sharing a room with him and Jason had been put in with Joe. John didn't mind Andrew but wasn't the guys biggest fan. He looked out the window. He could just see the silhouette of the trees through the mist. His eyes unfocused and felt dozy. Then he herd it. The very faint sound of scraping. It was coming from outside. He looked out of the window.

A single shadow was moving through the mist. It looked like a small human shadow but John had to squint to see it. It was coming closer. John got out of bed and tried to open the door. It was locked. He looked back and a girl was coming out of the fog. She was short with brown hair. She was walking slowly towards the window. John looked at Andrew's bunk. He wasn't there. He started banging on the door shouting. The girl moved more slowly towards the cabin. When she stood outside the window she stared at John. He was now trying to brake down the door with his shoulder. She climbed through the shut window and stood in his room. Cuts opened up on her face and blood started to pour down her face. When it reached her mouth she coughed up more blood. She then looked strait into Jonathan's eyes. He screamed.

"Jonathan wake up!" Mr Knight was standing over John's bunk. Jonathan was startled and shot bolt upright. He was clammy and covered in sweat. "Are you alright?" asked Mr Knight. He had a worried look about his face.

"Yes," said John "yes I'm fine." he looked up at Mr Knight who stared down at him.

"Okay then, go to centre cabin, you can have breakfast there."

Breakfast consisted of packed cereal that the group had brought with them as there were no kitchen staff. As they ate timetables were passed around the tables. When John got his he was pleasantly surprised as he had Swimming followed by Bush Craft. When they had finished eating he went of to Swimming.

In his group there was himself, Mr Darkray, Alexandra and Jason. Mr Knight was taking all the swimming tasks while the other group had free time. As they all lined up in swimming gear on the edge of the crystal clear lake John couldn't help thinking how cold it looked. Mr Knight spoke:

"Well hello again everyone today we've gotya a little competition. Don't worry nothing to challenging. Now you can't see it here but just where the fog begins is a boy. Now what ya have to do is swim to the boy and back. The first one back is the winner. Any questions?" No one said anything, "good then off ya go." They all dived into the lake and started to swim. The coldness of the icy water cut through John like a knife. Soon Jason was well ahead of him and Alex was some way behind. John but his head under the water and did a breast stoke until his lungs burned for oxygen. When he resurfaced he felt his heart lurch. Jason and Alex were nowhere to be soon. The fog swirled around John and all he could see was water. He had lost all bearings and had no idea where to swim. But then he herd it. The sound like cardboard scraping on polystyrene. Suddenly he swallowed water and began to choke. His eyes started to close but just before they did he saw Jason swim up to him.

"Jonathan!" Jonathan once again saw Mr Knight bending over him. "John what happened?"

"I-I started to drown." said John "I herd a noise then I started drowning." Suddenly Mr Knight's face turned grave.

"What noise did you heard?"

"I don't know. It was like scraping. Like when you scrape finger nails on a blackboard." Mr Knight looked shocked. Then he relaxed.

"Are you alright?" he asked "do you want to take some time out?"

"No. No I'll be fine."

"Okay. Then you three will go and do some bushcraft."

So they went with Mr Darkray to the edge of the forrest.

Then they went inside.

They started to walk down a path until they found a small camp. There was a campfire and a small red tent.

"Right, um. Okay!" said Darkray "So we have three Walky Talky. Jason, you need to follow the path on the right until you find some wood. Bring it back here while Alex and I go and find some provision. John, stay with the camp. We will report every two minutes" Each of the groups got a Comm. and then went on. John sat next to the campfire and looked around but all he could see was mist and the silhouettes of the trees. They seemed to look over him, mocking him. The static on his Walky Talky started which made him jump. Then Darkray's voice echoed from the comm.

"Hello this is Darkray reporting we are at the site. Report back."

"Hi this is Bry reporting, camps fine."

"This is Jason I've got the wood I'm coming back." Then the static died. John threw the Talky into the air and caught it. He did it again. On the third time he dropped and exactly when it hit the ground the static started. John frowned and picked it up. He tried to turn off the Talky but the noise remained. Then he herd the familiar noise that chilled him. Scraping. Quietly at first but then louder and louder. Then the sound of Jason screaming came through the comm. Then a voice echoed down the come:

"Why?! For fuck's sake why?!" Then the comm. went dead.

"John?" Darkray's voice echoed from behind him. John looked around. "Where's Jason?"

"I don't know." said John, a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"He should have got here first. Let's look for him." So they all walked into the fog down the path Jason had followed.

Alex saw it first. She screamed and pointed at the tree where it was pinned. A hand was nailed to a tree. Blood pouring from the nail. Hacked to the bottom of the tree were the words "Follow Me."

"So Mrs Bry no one knows exactly what killed you're son but we are working on it. Here take my card." said Mr Jones. He placed his business card on the coffee table in front of a crying Mrs Bry. He then left the house and got into his car. He turned on the radio but he couldn't get anything out of it. Except the sound of scraping.

**From "Abby's Case."**

It was later discovered that Jonathan Bry had been killed by the serial killer Abby. He had been pinned up to a tree along with a certain Jason Yache and Ben Darkray. An Alex Demouge was found nearby and taken to a institute for the mentally unstable. So what linked the deaths. Why had these particular people been killed. Well for two main reasons the first was because they all had had "bad" life. Every person killed except those of Jason and Ben who were killed for bait had had an appalling life. Janet Hale was over three million pounds in debt and was into the drug trade. Luke Stanley was a heroine addict and started going into depression. Jonathan Hadley was abused by his parents and ran away from home. Jonathan Bry was responsible for the Murder of his sister Clara. Oh, and the other reason why they were all killed. Isn't it obvious? They all tried to commit suicide.

**THE END**

_The story will continue in Milla._


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